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CLBMON-11B4 | Monitoring Wetland and Riparian Habitat in Revelstoke Reach in Response to Wildlife Physical Works | Year 4 | June

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CLBMON-11B4 | Monitoring Wetland and Riparian Habitat in Revelstoke Reach in Response to Wildlife Physical Works | Year 4 | June Columbia River Project Water Use Plan KINBASKET AND ARROW LAKES RESERVOIR REVEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Implementation Year 4 Reference: CLBMON-11B4 Monitoring Wetland and Riparian Habitat in Revelstoke Reach in Response to Wildlife Physical Works Study Period: 2013 Okanagan Nations Alliance, Westbank, BC and LGL Limited environmental research associates Sidney, BC June 18, 2014 EA3413 BRITISH COLUMBIA HYDRO AND POWER AUTHORITY CLBMON-11B4 Monitoring Wetland and Riparian Habitat in Revelstoke Reach in Response to Wildlife Physical Works Annual Report - 2013 Prepared for BC Hydro Generation Water Licence Requirements 6911 Southpoint Drive Burnaby, BC BC Hydro Contract No. EC10-393872 Prepared by Michael T. Miller, Ph.D., LGL and Virgil C. Hawkes, M.Sc., R.P. Bio., LGL LGL Limited environmental research associates and Okanagan Nation Alliance Technical Contact: Virgil C. Hawkes, M.Sc., R.P. Bio. [email protected]; 1.250.656.0127 June 18, 2014 Suggested Citation: Miller, M.T. and V.C. Hawkes. 2014. CLBMON-11B4 Monitoring Wetland and Riparian Habitat in Revelstoke Reach in Response to Wildlife Physical Works. Annual Report – 2013. LGL Report EA3413. Unpublished report by Okanagan Nation Alliance and LGL Limited environmental research associates, Sidney, BC, for BC Hydro Generation, Water Licence Requirements, Burnaby, BC. 34 pp + Appendix. Cover photos From left to right: Cartier Bay, water-milfoil (Myriophyllum sp.) in Cartier Bay, Four- spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata), Airport Marsh. Photos © Virgil C. Hawkes 2010. © 2014 BC Hydro. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission from BC Hydro, Burnaby, BC. CLBMON-11B4 Monitoring of Wildlife Physical Works EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2014 Final Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CLBMON-11B4 (Monitoring Wetland and Riparian Habitat in Revelstoke Reach in Response to Wildlife Physical Works) was commissioned by BC Hydro in 2010 under the Columbia Water Use Plan. The mandate of this 10 year project is to assess the effectiveness of wildlife physical works projects (CLBWORKS-30) at enhancing wetland and wildlife habitat in Revelstoke Reach, part of Arrow Lakes Reservoir in southern British Columbia. Here, we report results at the four-year mark of pre-implementation monitoring for the four wetland complexes within Revelstoke Reach being considered for physical works projects: Cartier Bay, Airport Marsh, Montana Slough, and Lower Inonoaklin Road (monitored since 2012), as well as for an ecological reference site, the Beaton Arm beaver ponds, monitored since 2012. Aquatic macrophytes and macroinvertebrates were sampled in early summer (May/June). Point intercept data were collected on macrophyte frequency (calculated as the number of sample points in which a species occurred divided by the total number of sample points), abundance (measured for each species as volume x cover or VC), and biomass (dry weight of plant material collected per rake grab). As in previous years, Eurasian Water-milfoil, Common Hornwort, Stonewort, and Small Pondweed were the most frequently encountered aquatic macrophytes in Revelstoke Reach in 2013; each was recorded at Cartier Bay and Airport Marsh in at least 30 per cent of point intercept samples. All four taxa showed a trend of increasing frequency at Airport Marsh between 2011 and 2013. At Cartier Bay, trends were more mixed as Stonewort and Small Pondweed showed slightly higher frequencies in 2013 compared to 2011, whereas Common Hornwort had a slightly lower frequency and the frequency of Eurasian Water-milfoil appeared relatively unchanged. Contingency analyses applied to frequency data indicated that at Airport Marsh, observed frequencies were contingent on sampling year (p < 0.05) in the case of Stonewort, Floating-leaved Pondweed, and Water Smartweed. At Cartier Bay, only the frequency of Small Pondweed was significantly contingent on year, although the likelihood of encountering Water Smartweed and Richardson’s Pondweed was also marginally contingent on year. Multivariate analyses (RDAs) suggested that water physicochemical variables such as temperature, pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen explained very little (3.4%) of the variance in the distribution and local abundance of macrophytes at either Cartier Bay or Airport Marsh. Unless a stronger relationship is demonstrated between these variables and the occurrence rates of macroinvertebrates (an analysis which we have deferred until the next implementation year, when the available data set will be larger and more amenable to ordination analyses), there may be limited rationale for continuing to collect these data, at least during the pre-construction monitoring phase of the project. As in 2012, the richest site for macroinvertebrates was the Beaton Arm beaver ponds, followed by Airport Marsh. Together with true flies, copepods and water fleas were major constituents of the pelagic fauna at all four sites samples. Due to budgetary constraints, fewer macroinvertebrate samples were assessed in 2013 than in previous years. Consequently, quantitative analyses were not P a g e i CLBMON-11B4 Monitoring of Wildlife Physical Works EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2014 Final Report undertaken. Nevertheless, several previously unreported taxa were added to the macroinvertebrate checklist for Revelstoke Reach as well for Beaton Arm and Lower Inonoaklin Road, implying that the number of recorded taxa is likely to increase with continued sampling. The following recommendations are based on the 2013 study findings: 1. In the future, consider focusing pelagic sampling within a metre from the shoreline rather than in open water, as per guidelines in Jones et al. (2007), since this is where the highest concentrations of invertebrates tend to be. Boat sampling of the open water column may produce underestimates of taxa richness and abundance. 2. Continue to collect physicochemical variables (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), etc.), but to reduce sampling time, limit the collection of these variables to macroinvertebrate sampling locations. 3. Sampling should only be continued at sites potentially affected by the implementation of physical works. For 2014 we recommend that sampling continue at Airport Marsh, Montana Slough, Cartier Bay, and Lower Inonoaklin Creek. Beaton Arm should be dropped from the study because physical works are not proposed for this site. The status of CLBMON-11B4 after Year 3 (2012) with respect to the management questions and management hypotheses is summarized below: Management Question Management Year 4 (2013) Status (MQ) Hypotheses Wildlife physical works projects are still pending for wetlands in Revelstoke Reach. In each of 2010, 2011, and 2012, pre-impact, baseline data were collected on macrophyte and macroinvertebrate communities at Airport Marsh, Cartier Bay, and Montana Slough. Metrics of species abundance i. Are the wildlife physical (frequency, cover, biomass) and distribution (diversity, evenness) have been computed. Baseline works projects effective at HA2 HA2A data were also collected on water depth, turbidity, temperature, and physicochemistry. enhancing wildlife habitat in Improvements with aerial photographs continue to lead to refinements in wetland community the drawdown zone? mapping. The management question will begin to be addressed in full once the physical works have been completed and post-impact effects can be assessed. The data being collected will permit testing of the management hypotheses. ii. To what extent do the wildlife physical works projects increase the HA2D HA3B As above. productivity of habitat in the drawdown zone for wildlife? iii. Are some methods or techniques more effective than others at enhancing HA3 HA3B As above. wildlife habitat in the drawdown zone? HA2A: Wildlife physical works projects do not change the area (m2) or increase the suitability of wildlife habitat in the drawdown zone. HA2A: Wildlife physical works do not change wildlife use of the drawdown zone. HA2D: Wildlife physical works projects do not change the abundance (e.g., biomass) and species diversity in the drawdown zone of invertebrates, which are prey for amphibians and reptiles, birds, and mammals. HA3: The methods and techniques employed do not result in changes to wildlife habitats in the Arrow Lakes Reservoir drawdown zone. HA3B: The methods used for wildlife physical works do not result in changes to wildlife habitat in the Arrow Lakes Reservoir drawdown zone as measured by indices of habitat suitability, site productivity (e.g., arthropod biomass), and forage production. KEYWORDS: Arrow Lakes Reservoir, wildlife physical works, monitoring, drawdown zone, operating regime, wildlife, macrophyte, macroinvertebrate P a g e ii CLBMON-11B4 Monitoring of Wildlife Physical Works ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2014 Final Report ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors express their appreciation to the following individuals for their assistance in coordinating and conducting this study: Margo Dennis, Philip Bradshaw, and Guy Martel (BC Hydro); James Pepper, Alan Peatt, and Alexis Friesen (Okanagan Nation Alliance); and Doug Adama, Bryce McKinnon, Janean Sharkey (LGL Limited). A special thanks to Thilaka Krishnaraj, who sorted and identified the macroinvertebrate specimens. P a g e iii CLBMON-11B4 Monitoring of Wildlife Physical Works TABLE OF CONTENTS 2014 Final Report TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................
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